A new bill will allow a person to be tried and convicted of a criminal offence without seeing all the information relied on by the Crown and without the right to be present, the NZ Law Society says.

Alan Ritchie, a former executive director of the New Zealand Law Society, will the head the office in charge of keeping Judge’s conduct in line.

Deputy Judicial Conduct Commissioner since 2011, Ritchie was appointed Judicial Conduct Commissioner following a notice of motion in Parliament by Attorney-General Christopher Finlay on 2 July.

His appointment is for a five-year term.

Established in 2005, the Office of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner deals with complaints about the conduct of Judges of the various courts, in accordance with section 5 of the Judicial Conduct Commissioner and Judicial Conduct Panel Act 2004.

Ritchie was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1971 and practised in Ashburton and Wellington for over a decade, before being appointed chief executive office and then executive director of the New Zealand Law Society in 1985.

He held this position until 2008, and is also a member and panel convener of the Parole Board.